Wellington Region

Approximately 470 million cubic metres of water is allocated via 679 resource consents in the Wellington region. About two thirds of this is from surface water sources although there are many more individual groundwater consents than surface water consents. 50 percent of all allocated water is for town supply while a further 26 percent is allocated for irrigation.

Allocation (i.e. consented abstraction) more than doubled in the Wellington region between 1990 and 2010, primarily due to increases in irrigation demand in the Wairarapa.  There is now very little run-of-river water available as most of the major rivers and streams in the region are fully allocated.   The most productive groundwater aquifers are also highly allocated.   

Recent resource investigations in the region have improved our understanding of the linkage between groundwater  and surface water.  Management policies have been refined to take this linkage into account and ensure that the impacts of groundwater abstraction on rivers, streams, springs, lakes and wetlands are addressed when setting allocation limits.  Avoiding salt water intrusion at the coast as a result of groundwater drawdown is another key part of management policies.

Large scale damming and diversion of water for hydropower generation does not occur in the Wellington region. However, options for large scale water storage reservoirs to increase security of supply for irrigators are under consideration.

Data on actual use of water (as opposed to maximum consented use) is improving all the time as water meters become mandatory. Data on water use improves policies governing the allocation of water can be refined.